Method and apparatus for forming pin ticket staples



NOV. 30, 1943. I WALLACE 2,335,715

- METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING PIN TICKET STAPLES Filed Dec. 26.1940 L I I H H &

Patented Nov. 30, 1943 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING PIN TICKETSTAPLES Albert M. Wallace, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American TagCompany, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December26, 1940, Serial No. 371,848

7 Claims.

My invention relates generally to pin tickets of that type having wirestaples secured thereto for fastening the same to a, textile fabric orother object, and it has to do more particularly with the method andapparatus for forming the staples for such tickets.

Pin tickets of the foregoing character are usually provided with staplesformed of a comparatively soft and ductile wire and having free endsadapted to pierce fabric or other material of an object to which theticket is to be attached. This wire material is capable of beingpermanently drawn out or molded or Worked to a predetermined form. It isrequired that the free ends of the staples be pointed suificiently topierce the material Without being sharp enough to injure the hand of theuser during ordinary handling of the ticket, and it is also highlydesirable that such ends be free of burrs, rough surfaces, or the like,which would tend to catch the material of the object, so to speak, anddamage the same.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved pin tickethaving a staple which may be readily and easily applied to a piece offabric or the like without injuring the fabric and which will not injureones hand, if it should contact the free ends of the staple, duringordinary handling of the ticket.

Another object is to provide an improved staple having its ends roundedto a substantially hemispherical shape and so formed and shaped thatthey are smooth without burrs, sharp edges and rough surfaces whichwould tend to engage a piece of fabric or other object, the roundness ofthe staple ends being sufficient to enable the ends of the staple toreadily p erce a closely woven textile fabric but not sufficiently sharpto pierce the hand of the user during ordinary handling.

Still another object is to provide an improved method of making a pinticket of the foregoing character.

An additional object is to provide a method of making a pin ticket ofthe foregoing character whereby the free ends of the staples are firstsquare-cut and then given a forming or burnishing operation by applyingthereto a burnisher or burnishing die rotating at high speed and of suchshape as to give the staple ends a rounded point of hemispherical shape,the burnisher surface engaging the staple being very hard, smooth andhighly polished to provide the desired smoothness of the point merely bythe shaping operation and without further treatment.

Still another object is to provide a method of the foregoing characterwherein the staple ends are fully shaped quickly and uniformly.

Still another object is to provide improved burnishing apparatus,including a novel burnishing die by which the advantages of my inventionmay be attained.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this descriptionprogresses and by reference to the drawing illustrating one form ofticket embodying my invention, and the method of forming the same, andwherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a finished pin ticket embodying theinvention hereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental view illustrating one of the free endsof the staples shown in Fig. 1 at a preliminary stage in the method offorming the same;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View illustrating structure adapted to shapethe free ends of the staple;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the forming diesillustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. i;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental view diagrammatically illustrating thecondition of one of the free ends of the staple before the formingoperation has begun; I

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 except showing the condition of oneof the free ends of the staple at the end of the forming operation; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmental elevational View of one of the free endportions of the staple after the same has been fully shaped.

This invention may be employed in the forming of various kinds of pintickets having staples with one or more free ends adapted to pierce thematerial of the object to which the ticket is to be applied, the end ofthe staple, after it is applied to the object, being turned or bent overto secure the ticket to the object. It is to be understood, therefore,that the ticket shown in the drawing has been chosen merely tofacilitate explanation of the invention.

The pin ticket shown in the drawing includes a body portion It! to whichidentifying marks or the like may be applied. The body portion isadapted to be fixed to an object by a staple ll formed of a soft andductile wire,v as is cus- 'tomary. The staple wire is retained inthebody portion I!) by looping the wire through openings 12 in theticket body and by clamping the legs of the staple, adjacent the body10, inwardly upon the face of the ticket body in such a way shown) as toprovide spaced-apart staple ends i i These staple ends H should besuficiently pointed to enable them to readily pierce the fabric or othermaterial to which the ticket is to be applied by exerting a slightpressure thereon, but they should not be sharp enough to injure oneshand during ordinary handling of the ticket or the object to which it isattached. Otherise, the staple ends H should be so smooth and free fromburrs or rough surfaces that they will not catch the fibers of andinjure the fabric or other material to which the ticket is applied. Themethod and apparatus hereinafter described has to do with a burnishingoperation by which the desired smooth and rounded end is formed withoutany treatment thereof other than the burnishing operation.

To the foregoing end, the staple wire, preferably, is first cut to thedesired length by a tool which cuts the same at right angles to the axisthereof, as shown at in Fig. 2. This may be done before the staple wireis applied to the ticket body IE3, or the staple wire may first beapplied to the pin ticket and then so cut. By burnishing operation Imean a spreading or spinning operation by which the material of the wireis permanently worked or formed to the desired shape. After the ends I iare cut, as stated, they are subjected to a burnishing operation whichgives them the desired smooth and rounded shape shown in Fig. 8. If itshould be desirable, the wire ends may be completely shaped before theyare applied to the ticket without departing from my invention.

The burnishing operation may be accomplished by various mechanisms, onesuch mechanism being diagrammatically illustrated in the drawing. Thismechanism includes a ticket support I3 in which the pin ticket body H3is clamped or otherwise secured (Fig. 3). The support I3 is providedwith openings M through which the free ends H of the staple ll guidinglyproject. In this way, the staple ends ll are given support, whichminimizes the tendency of the same to bend or distort during theburnishing operation.

The burnishing mechanism shown includes a reciprocable die unit l5 thatrotatably supports a pair of spaced shafts l 6 carrying at their upperends burnishers or burnishing die members I! in which are received thefree end portions H of the staple l l. The burnisher unit may bereciprocated by any suitable mechanism (not Also, the burnisher shaft Itmay be rotated by any desired and well-known form of mechanism (notshown), the arrangement being such that they are rotated simultaneouslyand at the same speed. The shafts it are also arranged to reciprocatewith and relative to the head l5, light springs l8 being mounted uponthe shafts l6 between the burnishers ll and head 15, constantly urgingthe burnishers i! and shafts It to their outermost positions.

The burnishers H are similar in construction and each of them, in orderto accomplish the desired burnishing operation, is provided in its upperend with an elongated cavity Il of semicircular shape in cross section.The cavity H is provided with a hard, smooth, highly polished surfacewhich lends itself to the burnishing operation and which results in astaple end surface free of roughness. As will be pointed outhereinafter, high speed rotation. of the burnishers I1 is required inorder to burnish or form the ends of soft ductile staple wire, and Ihave found that an elongated burnishing cavity of a length greater thanthe diameter of the wire, as distinguished from a circular openinghaving an inlet of such size as to merely freely receive the squared endof the wire, is quite important. I am not cer- 5 tain as to the reasonfor this, but from demonstration I believe that, in carrying out theburnishing operation, the end of the wire should not be confinedthroughout its diameter,otherwise, the working or drawing out orspreading opera- 10 tion is not accomplished. If th wire end werecompletely confined, as by the wall of a circular opening, then abinding action appears to exist and the forming that takes place appearsto be one of wearing away. This is not satisfactory for my purposes. Theelongated cavity avoids all difficulties and insures the proper workingof the metal to accomplish the burnishing operation.

The burnisher H are so located that the centers of their cavities Ii arespaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the free ends of thestaple l 5 whereby, as the head I5 is moved upwardly, the

burnishing cavities receive the free end portions l I" of the staple inthe manner and to the extent indicated in Figs. 3 and 6. In engaging theburnishers ll with the free ends of the staple l I, the supporting headH: is moved upwardly to such an extent that the burnisher springs l8 arelightly compressed so that the rotating burnishers engage staples underslight axial pressure.

In shaping the staple ends, the pin ticket H3 is fixed in the support [3which is so positioned that the free ends H of the staple are receivedin the burnishers ll. The free ends of the staple engage the polishedcavity surfaces under slight pressure (Figs. 3 and 6). The burnishersare then rotated at a high speed, as a result of which, and due to thepressure exerted axially by the springs l8, a burnishing action takesplace causing the metal at the end of the free end portions of thestaple to be formed to the cross-sectional shape of the die asillustrated in Figs. 5 and "I. It is difiicult to determine all of thefactors entering into this shaping operation, but I believe thatrotation of the burnisher surfaces at high speed under pressure againstthe staple end is one factor contributing to the smooth staple endsurface formed. The burnisher is formed of a very hard and high gradesteel material and this, with the highly polished burnisher surface, isanother contributing factor in the surfacing results attained. I havefound that the burnishing operation above described is effectivelycarried out by rotating the burnishers at a high rate of speed with theburnisher engaging the staple end under approximately one-half poundpressure and with the burnishing operation carried on for approximatelyone-half second. in time. The speed of rotation is an important factorwhich I believe is related to the shape of the burnishing cavity H I amnot certain as to the reasons for this but I believe that the wirecustomarily employed for staples has a certain normal vibratingfrequency and as the burnisher ll rotates, due to the two-sided wirecontact, there is a tendency for the wire to vibrate in a fixed path. Asthe wire tends to vibrate and approaches its normal vibrating frequency,the end thereof in the burnisher cavity Il tends to move to an eccentricposition in the cavity ii, and, if the burnisher is rotated at a, speedbelow the vibration frequency of the wire, the end of the wire appearsto assume an eccentric position in the cavity W at such a time that thewire is moved around withthe burnisher and is twisted and broken uponcontinued rotation of the burnisher.

However, if the burnisher is rotated at a speed substantially above thenormal vibration point of the wire, the burnisher appears to be movingso fast that the wire does not have an opportunity to vibrate to aneccentric position before the longitudinal axis of the burnisher cavityI'l" moves past the path of vibration of the wire. Hence, the wire isheld substantially concentric and does not twist off.

By demonstration, I have found that, with the wire commonly employed forstaples, good results may be attained by rotating the burnisher at aspeed above 4000 R. P. M.; and I have also found that excellent resultsmay be attained by rotating at a speed of approximately 4800 R. P. M. Atspeeds lower than 4000 R. P. M. the wire tends to twist off or break. Itwill be understood that these conditions may change as the character ofthe wire is changed; but I believe that in each instance the frequencyof rotation should exceed the normal frequency of vibration of the wirein order to hold the wire concentric and to prevent its breakage. It isalso to be understood that, while the foregoing example of time andpressure gives excellent results, these conditions, or any of them, maybe varied somewhat without departing from my invention. For example, thespeed may be reduced and the pressure increased, or vice versa; or thetime of the operation may be varied while the other conditions may ormay not be varied, et cetera.

In the foregoing manner, both of the free ends of the staple of a singlepin ticket are simultaneously burnished or shaped. As soon as thisoperation is completed, the burnishing members I I are withdrawn, theticket body is removed from the support l3, and the ticket is incondition for its intended use. In the manufacture of pin tickets ofthis kind it is customary to form the same in gangs, so to speak. Inthat case, burnisher units, similar to that above described and adaptedto handle gangs of tickets, may be employed, or the tickets may beseparated from a gang and individually formed, as desired. Also, I havefound that good results may be attained by a multiple-stage burnishingoperation. For example, if the operation is a two-stage one, I employ aburnisher at each stage, similarly rotating under the speed conditionsabove stated. The staple end to be formed is then moved first to oneburnisher and then to the other, the burnishing operation being startedin the first stage and completed in the second. In this case the timecondition is varied accordingly.

It is believed that the advantages of my invention will be wellunderstood from the foregoing description. The staple ends may be giventhe desired rounded shape and they are provided with a smoothnon-damaging surface merely by the forming operation. No furthertreatment of any kind, such as dipping, coating, polishing, or the like,is required to condition them for use.

I claim:

1. The process of forming a wire pin ticket staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form and which is free of burrs, roughsurfaces and the like, by moving axially into engagement therewith andholding it constantly engaged with a hard and highly polished surface ofsemicircular shape and crosssection forming a cavity of greater lengththan the diameter of the wire, in which cavity said end isreceived andconfined, then rotating said surface at a rate of speed in excess of thenormal vibration frequency of the wire for a short interval of time,holding said end continuously so engaged and constantly applying aslight and substantially uniform yielding pressure axially of saidsurface against said engaged end while said surface is rotating.

2. The process of forming a wire pin ticket -staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object, whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end 'a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form free of burrs, rough surfaces andthe like, by moving axially into engagement therewith a tool having anelongated, semicircular cavity of greater length than the diameter ofthe wire which has a hard and highly polished surface against which saidsquared-end is snugly received and confined, rotating said tool at aspeed above 4000 revolutions per minute for a short interval of time,and applying a slight pressure to the rotating tool axially of the wire.

3. The process of forming a wire pin ticket staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object, whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form free of burrs, rough surfaces andthe like, by moving axially into engagement therewith a tool having anelongated semicircular cavity of greater length than the diameter of thewire which has a hard and highly polished surface against which saidsquared end is snugly received and confiined, rotating said tool at aspeed of approximately 4800 revolutions per minute for a short intervalof time, and applying a slight pressure to the rotating tool axially ofthe wire.

4. The process of forming a wire pin ticket staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form free of burrs, rough surfaces andthe like by inserting said end into an elongated semicircular cavity ofgreater length than the diameter of the wire, the cavity having a hardand highly polished surface against which said square end is receivedand constantly engaged, rotating said cavity surface at a speed inexcess of the normal rate of vibration of the wire for an interval ofapproximately one-half second and continuously applying a substantiallyuniform and yielding pressure axially of said cavity surface againstsaid end while said surface is rotating against said engaged end.

5. The process of forming a wire pin ticket staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object, whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form free of burrs, rough surfaces andthe like, by moving axially into engagement therewith a tool having anelongated, semicircular cavity snugly receiving the end of the wire andof greater length than the diameter of the wire and presenting a highlypolished surface of greater hardness than the material of the wire andagainst which said squared end is received, rotating said tool at aspeed above the normal vibration frequency of the wire for an intervalof approximately one-half second, and applying approximately one-halfpound pressure axially of said tool against said end While said tool isrotating.

6. A burnisher unit adapted for forming the free and square-cut ends ofWire staples for pin tickets, which comprises a burnisher adapted to berotated and having an elongated cavity of semicircular shape incross-section and of greater length than the diameter of the staplewire, the staple-engaging surface of said cavity being formed of a hardand highly polished material and being adapted to receive and engage theend of the staple and to confine lateral movement of the end in twoopposite directions only, and spring means adapted for holding saidburnisher continuously engaged with the staple end under a slight andsubstantially constant pressure.

'7. The process of forming a wire pin ticket staple having at least onefree end portion adapted to pierce the material of an object, whichcomprises cutting a length of wire at substantially right angles to itsaxis to form a square-cut end portion, then giving said end a smoothrounded shape of hemispherical form and which is free of burrs, roughsurfaces and the like, by confining said free end against lateralmovement in two opposite directions only between and in engage ment withtwo opposed, curved, hard and highly polished and substantially parallelfaces, said opposed faces together forming an elongated semicircularsurface of greater length than the diameter of the staple wire againstwhich said square end is snugly received and confined, rotating saidopposed faces substantially on the axis of the wire at a rate of speedin excess of the normal vibration frequency of the wire for a shortinterval of time, and constantly holding said surface under slight axialpressure against said end while the surface is rotating.

ALBERT M. WALLACE.

